Tie-plate



A. MORRISON.

TIE PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1 l, 1920.

1,348,370. PatentedAug. 3,1920.

RES/STANCE bearing surfaces,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW MORItISON, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO DILWORTH- PORTER .& COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

TIE-PLATE.

' Application filed June 11,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW MORRISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsyl- Vania, have invented a new and .useful Improvement in Tie-Plates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descript on," reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specificatlon.

The present invention relates particularly to tie plates for railroads.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a tie plate in which all of the including the rail; tread and the upper surface of the tie plate, are normal to the downward thrust produced by the wheel load, and in which the lower surface of the tie plate is so shaped that a maximum resistance to lateral outward creeping of the tie plate, which would ordinarily be caused by the lateral wheel thrust and resultant wheel thrust, is afforded with p out cutting of the tie fibers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a .tie plate of the construction described in which the plate is cambered in a direction parallel to the direction of extension of the rail which is placed thereon, to prevent movement of the tie plate with the rail. 1

The foregoing and other objects, together with their attendant advantages, will be apparent as the invention becomes better understood, byreference to the accompanying Specification and drawings forming a part thereof, it being premised that changes may be made in the various details and 4 the manner of operation, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Figure lis a transverse section through a tie plate and rail, showing a portion of a standard coned tread car-wheel.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a tie plate and rail section, showing a portion of a tie in section.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the improved tie plate, and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the influences 'with special reference to which the tie plate is designed.

I am aware that it is old to construct railway tie plates having a relatively thin entrance edge and a thickened anvil portion Specification of Letters'lat'ent.

1920. SeriaLNo. 388,105.

remote therefrom, with Jpointed cutting teeth directed toward said anvil portion, and that it is also old to constructinvertible tie plates having projectingcutting ribs on opposite sides adjacent the opposite edges thereof, but such constructions have not been successful due largely to the cutting action on the tie fibers. I am-also familiar with rail joints adapted to rest at their end portions upon adjacent ties and having a series of serrations or shoulders adapted to enter the material of which the ties are composed, but my invention has no relation to such constructions.

It has also been proposed to provide tie plates with ribs at an oblique angle, and to provide tapered tie plates having on their lower face a number of projecting spurs adapted to embed themselves in the tie by a cutting action which the present invention overcomes.

The general problems involved in tie plate constructions, and successfully overcome by this invention, have been recognized and an unsuccessful attempt has been made to overcome the same by constructing a cambered tie plate having an upper rail seat normal to the line f thrust of the standard coned tread oar-wheel, and lower stepped surfaces parallel with said seat, but, stepped surfaces so arranged have assisted and not prevented lateral creeping.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated a tie plate 2 provided with a rail abutting shoulder 8 adjacent one end thereof, and with the usual spike openings 4: to assist in holding the tie plate in position. The main body of the tie plate is cambered transversely in a direction parallel t the direction of extension of a rail 5 placed thereon. This camber provides opposite side edges 6' which are lower than the main body of the tie plate and which embed themselves firmly in the tie to prevent longitudinal creeping of the tie plate.

According to the present invention, the main body of the tie plate is slightly tapered to provide a thickened portion adjacent the shoulder 3 and relativelythin inwardlj projectin portion. This taper is calculated in suc manner that the upper rail seat 7 will be normal to the fdownward thrust of a standard coned treadljcarwheel,

Patented Au". 3, 1920.

such as, illustrated in dotted lines in 1,

and producing a wheel load stress in the direction of the inclined line a-b'-. In Fig.

4, this strees is indicated by the arrow A v designated wheel load. In addition to this stress, there is a laterally acting stress indicated in Fig. 4 by the arrow B designated wheel thrust. These two stresses, which are acting during the passing of a car over the rails, produce a third stress indicated by the arrow C and designated resultant wheel thrust. It will be ap parent that all of these stresses combine to produce a spread of the rails and tie plates as represented by the arrow D. This tendency to spread is increased by the taper of the tie plate and the\tendency thereof to creep from under a load which is not effective thereon or transmitted thereto in a true vertical plane.

The present invention overcomes this spreading tendency byforming the lower surface of the tie plate with a series of wide bearing surfaces 8 oppositely inclined with respect to the upper rail seat, the inclination in this instance being'upwardly and inwardly. These bearing surfaces 8 are con-- nected by abruptly upwardly and. outwardly inclined portions 9. The high points 10 of these abruptly inclined portions are rounded or convex to form non-cutting projections which while effective for displacing the tie fibers downwardly do not exert any cutting action thereon. These portions present shoulders to the ties which are effective for preventing outward lateral creeping or displacement of the tie plates. In Fig. 4 the arrow E marked resistance illustrates the direction in which these shoulders are effective. It is essential that these shoulders be abrupt as a gradual inclination assists the resultant wheel thrust and increases the lateral outward creeping 0f the tie plates, thereby permitting an undue spreading action. \Vith the present construction, the resistance isv effective in direct opposition to the resultant wheel thrust, thereby preventing any spreading or creeping.

The camber transversely of the tie plate cdopera tes with-the particular construction of' the under surface of the tie plate to prevent any objectionable movement thereof.

The advantages of the present invention arise from the non-cutting tie plate provided which presents surfaces normal to the downward line of stress of a standard coned tread car-wheel and which maintains itself in fixed relation to the tie, both laterally and longitudinally.

I claim: 1; A tie-plate for railway rails having an upper rail seat normal to the line of thrust .of the standard coned tread car-wheel and surface comprising a series of wide bearing surfaces oppositely inclined with respect to said seat, said inclination being gradual upwardly and inwardly, and abruptly upwardly and outwardly inclined portions having their high points rounded and forming shoulders connecting said bearing surfaces,substantially as described.

3. A tie plate for railway rails having an inclined upper rail seat. normal to the line of thrust of the standard coned tread car wheel, and a lower tie-engaging surface comprising a series of wide bearing surfaces across the entire width thereof and oppositely inclined with respeet to said seat, said inclination being gradual upwardly and inwardly, and abruptly upwardly and outwardly inclined portions forming shoulders for connecting said bearing surfaces, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' ANDREW MORRISON. 

